1. Breathe
2. Never stop singing. 
3. Make it about the music, not you. 

A friend of mine (who is an incredible musician, conductor, and composer. . .yes, it’s quite possible she’ll read this. I hope she does) sent that to me when I told her about a practice session panic moment I had where I was so annoyed with my voice that I just stopped singing. Most days, I hate the sound of my own voice. It’s not very strong, and I want it to be, but I’m super self conscious, so I just stop. . .which is generally out of character for me. 

She was talking about singing, but I think it’s pretty solid life advice, too, no matter what you’re doing. 

1. Chill out. 
2. Don’t stop. 
3. Make it more about what you’re doing than yourself. 

When we give ourselves to something, we’re putting ourselves out there, we’re being vulnerable. We cannot be vulnerable and self conscious at the same time — it just won’t work. When we’re self conscious, we hold back and we don’t give our best. That’s certainly what I do. I worry about what others will think of me instead of focusing on what I came there to do. If I make it more about what I’m doing and not how well I think I’m doing it, I’ll be much better at it. 

Each Sunday, I give a children’s message at my church. Some days, I get super nervous because I want it to be good, and meaningful. The days that I get nervous, I make it about me. It shouldn’t ever be about me.

Don’t give up on something just because it “feels” weird. That’s my biggest (and weakest) excuse for not doing something. It feels weird. Feelings are fickle things who belie the truth because they are so relative to US. Just keep going. And also, keep singing. . .that’s just good advice, too.